1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable apparatus such as a lap-top or portable computer and more particularly to a portable apparatus having a divided portion for suitably guiding a cable electrically connecting a base unit of the computer and a display unit connected to the base unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,456 discloses a portable computer which comprises a base unit, a keyboard attached to the base unit, and a display unit hinged to the base unit by a hinge mechanism. The hinge mechanism connects the display unit to the base unit such that the display unit can be rotated between a closed position where it covers the keyboard and an opened position where it is held up from the keyboard. The hinge mechanism comprises two trunnions horizontally protruding within the housing of the display unit, from the side walls of this housing, and two bearings mounted on the trunnions. The bearings are fitted in the grooves formed in the top surface of the base unit.
The portable computer further comprises a flexible cable connecting the various components located within the base unit to the various components incorporated in the display unit. This cable extends through the hinge mechanism which connects the display unit to the base unit. More specifically, the cable extends from the base unit through the holes made in the bearings and having axes identical to those of the bearings, and further through the holes made in the housing of the display unit, into the display housing. Either bearing is mounted on the trunnion such that its hole is continuous to and coaxial with the hole of the display housing, so that it is easy to guide the cable out of the base unit into the housing of the display unit.
Recently there is a demand for portable computers which are more compact and, thus, more portable. To meet this demand, both the base unit and display unit need to be thin, and the hinge mechanism for connecting the display unit to the base unit must also be thin. As a result, the components of the hinge mechanism, such as bearings or trunnions, should be proportionally thin. The thinner the bearings, the smaller the diameter of their holes. The smaller the diameter of the holes, the more difficult it is to pass a cable through these holes, inevitably reducing the efficiency of assembling portable computers.